I posted this idea on ideasguy on discord, but I wanted to make an official long form post about it here.
My idea is to have a vacuum cleaner, that sucks up trash. I feel like it could make trash cleaning more fun, but the main reason I want this to be added is for my other idea.
Currently, we only have one janicart* upgrade, which is the floor buffer upgrade. The ability to attach a trash bag is also present in the game already. My idea is to have a hand vacuum cleaner (the upright kind) in the janitorial closet at roundstart, which can be turned on and used like a mop, but cleans all items that can fit in a trash bag instead of messes. As it would be electric it would use a power cell. It would also need to have a trash bag attached to be functional.
In addition, I propose creating an upgrade for the janicart that would vacuum all items that can fit into a trash bag that is attached to the janicart when the janicart drives over them, similar to the floor buffer upgrade. As is already a feature, this would allow for both the basic trash bag and the trash bag of holding to be used. This would ideally be bundled in with the Advanced Custodial Equipment research done by Research and Development. In addition, an advanced vacuum cleaner and vacuum attachment would be available to be researched separately. Perhaps the advanced upright cleaner could be researched alongside the Advanced Custodial Equipment as well. The advanced vacuum cleaner and janicart upgrade would selectively vacuum trash items.**
In conclusion, I believe this update would give more functionality to the janicart, without making it overpowered*** or replacing the custodial cart. My idea is most likely not perfect, and I would not expect it to be implemented without some tweaks. The idea of a lean, mean, cleaning machine that can be upgraded like a mech sounds cool to me. If you have any ideas for other potential janicart upgrades, I encourage you to make a post about them.
*“janicart” refers to the vehicle that starts in the custodial closet labelled as “pimpin’ ride”. The janitorial cart is referred to as “custodial cart” here.
**trash items would include items labelled in their descriptions as trash, or items that could be considered trash such as used shotgun shells or dead mice.
***“overpowered” means efficient to the point where a second janitor who joins can’t keep up.
(I will repost this on Discord later to get more feedback)